Requisite Information Collaboration and Distributed Knowledge Management in Software Development

The paper suggests a framework advocating an integrated approach to software development stipulating the interconnection between Design, Organization and Business value networks (DOB). These three focus areas span collaborative development processes applying a range of facilitating tools, including distributed knowledge management product state models. The paper draws upon a series of discussion with Scandinavian IT Group (SIG). With an interest in how performance in their new organization develops SIG invited the research group to study measures of organizational performance and the use and effect of knowledge management tools in software development. The paper does not represent the viewpoint of SIG but outline our framework and major research questions. The paper is a research in progress contribution

Adaptable Mobile Transactions and Environment Awareness

National audienceMobile environments are characterized by high variability (e.g. variable bandwidth, disconnections, different communication prices) as well as by limited mobile host resources. Such characteristics lead to high rates of transaction failures and unpredictable execution costs. This paper introduces an Adaptable Mobile Transaction model (AMT) that allows defining transactions with several execution alternatives associated to a particular context. The principal goal is to adapt transaction execution to context variations. An analytical study shows that using AMTs increases commit probabilities and that it is possible to choose the way transactions will be executed according to their costs. In addition, the middleware TransMobi is proposed. It manages environment awareness and implements the AMT model with suitable protocols.Les environnements mobiles sont caractérisés par une grande variabilité (bande passante variable, déconnexions, prix de communication différents, etc.) ainsi que par des uni-tés mobiles à ressources limitées. Ces caractéristiques entraînent un nombre important de défaillances transactionnels et des coûts d'exécution imprévus. Cet article introduit un modèle de transactions mobiles adaptables (AMT) permettant de définir des transactions avec plusieurs alternatives d'exécution. Le principal objectif est d'adapter l'exécution des transactions aux variations du contexte. Une étude analytique montre que les AMT augmentent la probabilité de validation et qu'il est possible de choisir le type d'exécution en fonction de son coût. Nous proposons également l'intergiciel TransMobi gérant la perception de l'environnement et implantant le modèle AMT à l'aide de protocoles appropriés

Translating Relational Conceptual Schema to Object-Oriented Schema

A multidatabase is a confederation of preexisting distributed, heterogeneous, and autonomous database system. The integration process is essential in the effort of forming a distributed, heterogeneous database system. This process generally consists of two main phases, which are conceptual schema translation phase and followed by the integration phase. In our research, we have proposed an alternative translation approach to convert relational database schema to object--oriented database schema. The translation approach consists of a set of translation rules, which are based on inclusion dependencies, key attributes and types of attributes. A database schema translation tool prototype, called RETOO (Relational-to-Object-Oriented) is then developed based on the proposed translation approach. RETOO receives a relational database schema as input data and generate an object-oriented database schema as the output data.RETOO operates semi-automatically, especially in the process of identifying operations for each class. This is because relational data model does not provide the behavioural information of every entity. The translation approach and RETOO database translation tool prototype are not only able to maintain the semantics of the relational database schema, but also enhance the semantics of the translated object-oriented schema via object-oriented data modelling concepts

A comparative study of transaction management services in multidatabase heterogeneous systems

Multidatabases are being actively researched as a relatively new area in which many aspects are not yet fully understood. This area of transaction management in multidatabase systems still has many unresolved problems. The problem areas which this dissertation addresses are classification of multidatabase systems, global concurrency control, correctness criterion in a multidatabase environment, global deadlock detection, atomic commitment and crash recovery. A core group of research addressing these problems was identified and studied. The dissertation contributes to the multidatabase transaction management topic by introducing an alternative classification method for such multiple database systems; assessing existing research into transaction management schemes and based on this assessment, proposes a transaction processing model founded on the optimal properties of transaction management identified during the course of this research.ComputingM. Sc. (Computer Science

Execution Autonomy in Distributed Transaction Processing

We study the feasibility of execution autonomy in systems with asynchronous transaction processing based on epsilon-serializability (ESR). The abstract correctness criteria defined by ESR are implemented by techniques such as asynchronous divergence control and asynchronous consistency restoration. Concrete application examples in a distributed environment, such as banking, are described in order to illustrate the advantages of using ESR to support execution autonomy

Personalizing education with algorithmic course selection

The work presented in this thesis utilizes context-aware recommendation to facilitate personalized education and assist students in selecting courses (or in non-traditional curricula, topics or modules) that meet curricular requirements, leverage their skills and background, and are relevant to their interests. The original research contribution of this thesis is an algorithm that can generate a schedule of courses with consideration of a student\u27s profile, minimization of cost, and complete adherence to institution requirements. The research problem at hand - a constrained optimization problem with potentially conflicting objectives - is solved by first identifying a minimal sets of courses a student can take to graduate and then intelligently placing the selected courses into available semesters. The distinction between the proposed approach and related studies is in its simultaneous achievement of the following: guaranteed fulfillment of curricular requirements; applicability to both traditional and non-traditional curricula; and flexibility in nomenclature - semantics are extracted from syntax to allow the identification of relevant content, despite differences in course or topic titles from one institution to the next. The course selection algorithm presented is developed for the Pervasive Cyberinfrastructure for Personalized eLearning and Instructional Support (PERCEPOLIS), which can assist or supplement the degree planning actions of an academic advisor, with the assurance that recommended selections are always valid. With this algorithm, PERCEPOLIS can recommend the entire trajectory that a student could take to graduation, as opposed to just the next semester, and it does so with consideration of course or topic availability --Abstract, page iii

Design of a web-based LBS framework addressing usability, cost, and implementation constraints

This research investigates barriers that prevent Location Based Services (LBS) from reaching its full potential. The different constraints, including poor usability, lack of positioning support, costs, and integration difficulties are highlighted. A framework was designed incorporating components based on existing and new technologies that could help address the constraints of LBS and increase end-user acceptance. This research proposes that usability constraints can be addressed by adapting a system to user characteristics which are inferred on the basis of captured user context and interaction data. A prototype LBS system was developed to prove the feasibility and benefit of the framework design, demonstrating that constraints of positioning, cost, and integration can be overcome. Volunteers were asked to use the system, and to answer questions in relation to their proficiency and experience. User-feedback showed that the proposed combination of functionality was well-received, and the prototype was appealing to many users. Ground-truths from the survey were related back to data captured with a user monitoring component in order to investigate whether users can be classified according to their context and how they interact. The results have shown that statistically significant relationships exist, and that by using the C4.5 decision-tree, computer proficiency can be estimated within one class-width in 76.7% of the cases. These results suggest that it may be possible to build a user-model to estimate computer proficiency on the basis of user-interaction data. The user model could then used to improve usability through adaptive user-specific customisations

Global epidemiology of hip fractures: a study protocol using a common analytical platform among multiple countries

INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures are associated with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. Globally, there is wide variation in the incidence of hip fracture in people aged 50 years and older. Longitudinal and cross-geographical comparisons of health data can provide insights on aetiology, risk factors, and healthcare practices. However, systematic reviews of studies that use different methods and study periods do not permit direct comparison across geographical regions. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate global secular trends in hip fracture incidence, mortality and use of postfracture pharmacological treatment across Asia, Oceania, North and South America, and Western and Northern Europe using a unified methodology applied to health records. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This retrospective cohort study will use a common protocol and an analytical common data model approach to examine incidence of hip fracture across population-based databases in different geographical regions and healthcare settings. The study period will be from 2005 to 2018 subject to data availability in study sites. Patients aged 50 years and older and hospitalised due to hip fracture during the study period will be included. The primary outcome will be expressed as the annual incidence of hip fracture. Secondary outcomes will be the pharmacological treatment rate and mortality within 12 months following initial hip fracture by year. For the primary outcome, crude and standardised incidence of hip fracture will be reported. Linear regression will be used to test for time trends in the annual incidence. For secondary outcomes, the crude mortality and standardised mortality incidence will be reported. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Each participating site will follow the relevant local ethics and regulatory frameworks for study approval. The results of the study will be submitted for peer-reviewed scientific publications and presented at scientific conferences